Olympian Cullen Jones talks about his quest for success in swimming and teaching others to swim as well.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Make A Splash. Tampilkan semua postingan
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Minggu, 02 September 2012
Minggu, 22 Juli 2012
In Focus: Dominique Dawes Talks with Olympian Cullen Jones
Dominique Dawes sits down with Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones. Find out what inspires him in and out of the pool.
Rabu, 13 Juni 2012
Left of Black Summer Edition Vol. 1 | “What About My Hair?” and Other Tales of “Swimming While Black”
Left of Black Summer Edition Vol. 1 | June 14, 2012
“What About My Hair?” and Other Tales of “Swimming While Black”
In this special summer edition of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined via Skype by TaliaMark, Manager of Multicultural Marketing for USA Swimming and former manager of diversity affairs for NASCAR. Neal and Mark discuss the epidemic-like levels of drowning rates among Black and Latino/a youth, hair-care issues associated with Black female swimmers, and the success of Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones and 17-year-old Lia Neal.
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Left of Black is a weekly Webcast hosted by Mark Anthony Neal and produced in collaboration with the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University.
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Episodes of Left of Black are also available for free download in HD @ iTunes U
Kamis, 12 April 2012
Kamis, 08 Maret 2012
Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones Launches 2012 Make A Splash Tour
For Immediate Release
ConocoPhillips and USA Swimming Foundation Bring Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones to Houston to Kick Off Water Safety Tour, Educate Kids About Learning to Swim
HOUSTON, Feb. 29, 2012 -- Just in time for spring break, ConocoPhillips and the USA Swimming Foundation will bring Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones, to Houston to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim. The event, scheduled for March 7, marks the kickoff of the 2012 Make a Splash Tour with Cullen Jones presented by ConocoPhillips, a six-city national water safety tour designed to educate parents, kids and communities about the importance of learning to swim.
"Every child in America needs to learn how to swim. It is a critical skill that can determine the difference between life and death in a matter of seconds," said Jones, the first African-American male to hold a world record in swimming. "Drowning is an epidemic, but it's an epidemic with a cure. That is why I am so proud to be working with ConocoPhillips and the USASwimming Foundation to educate parents, children and caregivers about the learn-to-swim resources available in their communities. By raising awareness and providing the opportunity for more kids to learn to swim, we are saving lives."
Olympian Comes to Town
In Houston, Jones will lead a youth rally with approximately 320 children at Buffalo Creek Elementary School. He will share his personal story about nearly drowning when he was five and discuss the impact the sport has had on his life, including his Olympic journey. Additionally, all first and second graders of Buffalo Creek Elementary will receive a full session of free swimming lessons at Clay Road Family YMCA, courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips. The Houston tour stop will also include a semi-private swim lesson for several local kids at Clay Road Family YMCA.
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| w/ Duane Brown of the Houston Texans |
"The USA Swimming Foundation is dedicated to saving lives and building champions, and by raising awareness about the importance of learning to swim and providing the opportunity for kids to take lessons, we are absolutely saving lives," said Debbie Hesse, executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation. "To date, more than 1.1 million kids have taken lessons through our Make a Splash initiative, and we've reached millions of parents with the message of learn-to-swim. We are grateful to ConocoPhillips, who has made such a difference nationally and in Houstonspecifically, and to Cullen Jones for his passion in spreading this important message."
ConocoPhillips has partnered with USA Swimming for 39 years, and the Make a Splash Tour is a natural extension of the company's comprehensive commitment to safety. "Our annual support of the Make a Splash Tour embodies the company's focus on safety by reaching out to parents across the nation to build awareness of this important safety issue, and by giving thousands of children the opportunity to learn a valuable life-saving skill," said Kristi DesJarlais, manager, Corporate Brand and Community Investment, ConocoPhillips.
Sobering Drowning Statistics
Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. Drowning is also a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study.
Furthermore, 60-70 percent of African-American and Hispanic children cannot swim, and only 13 percent of kids who come from a non-swimming household will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USASwimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. African-American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their Caucasian peers, the CDC reports.
In 2012, Jones will visit a total of six cities to promote the availability of free or discounted swimming lessons or water safety education, providing kids access to life-saving swimming skills, regardless of their ethnic or economic background.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in life. Whether we're equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. The Foundation also serves as the home for our National and Olympic Team Alumni reunions and regional events. The development efforts of the USASwimming Foundation aim to establish an endowment to strengthen the future of USA Swimming's programs and services. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
About ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is an integrated energy company with interests around the world. Headquartered in Houston, the company had approximately 29,800 employees, $153 billion of assets, and $245 billion of revenues as of Dec. 31, 2011. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.
Since 1973, the company's contributions have supported the USASwimming community through the National Championships and other international competitions, publication of club development materials, and other areas.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is the national child-focused water safety initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation. Through its 487 local partner programs, Make a Splash offers free or discounted swimming lessons or water safety education in 47 states. To find a local partner, visit www.makeasplash.org.
About Cullen Jones
Cullen Jones is one of the fastest freestyle sprinters in the world today and currently holds the American record in the 50 freestyle. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he was a member of the electrifying 400m freestyle relay team that broke the world record and won Olympic gold in one of the most memorable races in history. With the victory, Cullen became the second African-American to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. He is currently training for the 2012 Olympic Games and trains under coach David Marsh at SwimMAC in Charlotte, N.C.
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Press Contacts:
Charlie Guadano | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Charlie@simonesmallspr.com
Simone Smalls | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Simone@simonesmallspr.com
Kamis, 26 Mei 2011
Making Waves: Black Swimmers Convene for 9th Annual Black Heritage Swim Meet
Making Waves:
Black Swimmers Convene for 9th Black Heritage Swim Meet
by Mark Anthony Neal | Black Voices (AOL/Huffington Post)
We've all read the statistics; the drowning rates of black children far exceed those of their white peers. In addition, the swimming proficiency of black children, accordingly, also lacks in comparison to their white peers; purportedly nearly 70 percent of black teens and children possess little or no swimming skills. Thanks to organizations like USA Swimming (the governing body of competitive swimming in the United States), the Make A Splash Foundation and the YMCA, there have been sustained efforts to increase swimming instruction among black children.
Yet in the backdrop of this seeming crisis, a generation of black swimmers have been making waves in competitive swimming and many of them will convene this Memorial Day weekend for the 9th Annual National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet, at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, North Carolina.
The Black Heritage Meet was founded in 2003 by Kathy Cooper who coaches the North Carolina Aquablazers. Cooper's daughter's Candace (now a swimmer at UNC-Chapel Hill) was a year-round competitive swimmer and Cooper was frustrated by the lack of diversity she witnessed at competitive meets. Blacks make up roughly 1 percent of all competitive swimmers, a number that only gets smaller among elite competitors.
With the Black Heritage Meet, Cooper hoped to provide a forum where young black swimmers and their parents could network. That first meet, held in Charlotte, NC attracted 104 swimmers; this year's meet will feature 896 athletes of all races, from forty-seven teams and 12 states.
The image of competitive swimming has been given a boost in black communities in recent years because of the success and visibility of Cullen Jones (pictured above), who won a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, as part of the US Men's 200M Freestyle Relay. Jones, who nearly drowned as a child and who was a collegiate swimmer at North Carolina State University, has used his relative celebrity to get the word out about swimming safety.
Less well known are swimmers like Maritza Correia (pictured directly above), a 2004 Olympic Silver medalist and 16-year-old Lia Neal, who is the Junior National champion in the 100M Freestyle. In 2008 as a 13-year-old, Neal (along with Missy Franklin) became one of the youngest swimmers to ever qualify for the Olympic Trials.
What makes the Black Heritage Meet such an experience is not simply the opportunity to come together with other black swimmers. Cooper describes the event as more of a family reunion, where extended family often travel hundreds of miles to see their kin compete against some of the best swimmers in the country. Indeed the sights and sounds of the meet, more resemble those found any Saturday afternoon in the autumn at an HBCU football game as opposed to most swim meet which can be dry events.
As part of the weekend-long festivities, the organizers sponsor a community breakfast, which fetes black swimming pioneers, not just in competitive swimming and diving, but also in the military. Competitors are also given the chance to swim with some of their idols. Last year, both Jones and Correia were in attendance and held swim exhibitions with swimmers. This year, Sabir Muhammad (pictured below), who was a member of the U.S. National Team in the late 1990s, will be on hand.
Competitive swimming also provides great discipline of black youth, while also providing other opportunities such as working as life guards and swimming instructors. As parent Joe Artis, whose children attended last year's National Black Heritage Championship observed, "It's another opportunity besides football and basketball that swimming gives us ... you're not gonna get rich swimming, but you can get a college degree."
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Mark Anthony Neal is a professor of African-American Studies at Duke University and the author of five books including the forthcoming 'Looking For Leroy: (Il)Legible Black Masculinities.' Neal is also a "Black Swim Parent," who resides in Durham, NC with his family, where his daughters swim for the YMCA of the Triangle Area (YOTA).
Selasa, 02 November 2010
Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Cullen Jones Visits Site of Swimming Tragedy
USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CULLEN JONES TO VISIT SHREVEPORT, LA ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
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